Find these expressions in the text. Use the context to help you work out their meaning.

to improve agriculture

to improve equipment

to develop a precision agriculture

to harvest a crop

to ensure good prices

to check the ripeness and quality of fruit

to preserve food from decay

to introduce IT to farming equipment

to apply fertilizes to the fields

 

Match the words in 1-6 with those in a-f to make collocations which all appear in the text.

1. to be depended on	a. fruits
2. required	b. innovations
3. aerial	c. fuel
4. to store	d. survey
5. low-tech	e. capacity and efficiency
6. limited access to	f. physical strength

4. In groups talk about whether you agree with the statement: “Technology made farmers less depended of weather while harvesting a crop”

 

Render the second and the third paragraphs.

Make a summary of the text.

7.  Webquest. Find out more about the inventions you consider to be the most significant. This site may help www.inventors.about.com

 

Unit 2

COMPUTER ESSENTIALS

1. In pairs, label the elements of this computer system. Then read the text from the Ex. 2 and check your answers.

 

 

Read the text and study diagram on the next page

What is a computer?

Computers are electronic machines which can accept data in a certain form, process the data and give the results of processing in a specified format as information.

Three basic steps are involved in a process. First, data is fed into the computer’s memory. Then the program is run, the computer performs a set of instructions and processes the data. Finally, we can see the results (the output) on the screen or in printed form (see the diagram).

Information in the form of data and programs is known as software, and the electronic and mechanical parts that make up a computer system are called hardware. A standard computer system consists of three main sections: the central processing unit (CPU), the main memories and the peripherals.

Perhaps the most influential component is the central processing unit. Its function is to execute program instructions and coordinate the activities of all the other units. In a way, it is the brain of the computer. The main memory holds the instructions and data which are currently being processed by the CPU. The peripherals are the physical units attached to the computer. They include storage devices and input/output devices. Storage devices (hard or optical disks) provide a permanent storage of both data and programs. Disk drivers are used to handle one or more floppy disks. Input devices enable data to go into the computer’s memory. The most common input devices are the mouse and the keyboard. Output devices enable us to extract the finished product from the system. For example, the computer shows the output on the monitor or prints the results onto paper by means of a printer.

On the rear panel of the computer there are several ports into which we can plug a wide range of peripherals – modems, fax machines, optical drivers and scanners.

These are the main physical units of a computer system, generally known as the configuration.

 

 R. Esteras Infotech. English for Computer Users. – Cambridge University Press, 2005